July 20-24, 2015

Today in the News Media

Today in the News Media is a synopsis of some of the most prominent coverage of OSU people and programs. Inclusion of any item constitutes neither an endorsement nor a critique, but rather is intended only to make the OSU community aware of significant items in the media.

What grows quickly, is packed with protein, has twice the nutritional value of kale and tastes like bacon? The answer, according to scientists at Oregon State University, is a new strain of seaweed they recently patented. (see also Mashable, TIME, ABC News, KPTV and about a million other outlets)

The next big Cascadia earthquake will probably hit Southern Oregon. The idea that everything west of Interstate 5 will be “toast” is “pure hyperbole.” But Oregonians should consult engineers concerning seismic retrofits to prepare for “The Really Big One.”
These are some of the comments made by quake and tsunami expert Chris Goldfinger and two of his colleagues during a “live chat” Friday on OregonLive. The geologists answered readers’ questions on-line during a forum that attracted more clicks – 5,000 and counting – than any live chat in OregonLive’s 18-year history.

While climate change is one part of this problem, researchers at Oregon State University and the University of New Hampshire have found that changes in land cover have been far more important in the last century. A particular concern is the introduction and expansion of invasive, non-native annual grasses at the expense of native shrublands. The end result, they say, is the transformation of the Great Basin into an ecosystem that is distinct from its 13,000-year history. (see also Science Friday, New Historian, Red Orbit)

In laboratory experiments, researchers at Oregon State University have developed a system to increase the bioavailability of these compounds in the body by using “copolymers” that make them water soluble and allow their injection into the blood stream, creating levels that are far higher than could ever be obtained by diet or oral intake. (see also News-Medical, Nutrition Insight)

Oregon State University welcomed its first class of incoming freshmen to its Central Oregon branch Friday. The orientation was at the OSU building on the campus of Central Oregon Community College. That’s where teachers will hold most classes while construction continues on the new campus in west Bend. The OSU-Cascades freshmen start school in September, without a campus of their own. (see also Bend Bulletin)

“You know, it really is a beautiful campus,” Tracy said on Thursday while walking in front of the Student Health Services building, the same place she’ll likely report to in the fall when she begins speaking to OSU students. “It’s surreal to me to think of where I was at one point on this campus and then to think about these good thoughts today. It’s really amazing. It’s a long way to go.”

Oregon State University (OSU) broke ground earlier this month on a new campus in Bend. OSU-Cascades has had a presence in Bend for the last 14 years, primarily through the two-plus-two program, which allows students to start as juniors at OSU-Cascades after completing two years of prerequisites at Central Oregon Community College (COCC).

“My sense is that we started a little earlier this year, and we probably anticipated that it would be a little bit worse by now,” said John Bailey, associate professor of forestry at Oregon State University. “But as for the next week, two weeks or three weeks from now, it’s hard to tell.”

“We’re hopefully going to have the training program up and online by the beginning of November,” said Lorinda Anderson, PharmD, BCPS, Pharmacy Instructor at Oregon State University, who is working with the Oregon Board of Pharmacy to put the training program together.

The tool was a wristband designed by researchers at Oregon State University and marketed by a company called MyExposome that is supposed to detect as many as 1,400 industrial chemicals I might come in contact with. I was invited to take part in a weeklong trial, and in the end I’d get a list of those compounds absorbed by my wristband.

That shore, however, wasn’t the only place where foreign fleets took up residence off the U.S. coast, said Oregon State University fisheries historian Carmel Finley. Thousands of foreign boats plundered haddock and other fish stocks off New England, and Stevens himself recalled in 2003 that Japanese trawlers clustered year-round in Alaska waters. But it was the industrial-scale Soviet fleet off the Pacific Northwest that really irked Magnuson.

Oregon State University earthquake expert Chris Goldfinger, quoted Monday in The New Yorker warning of a giant Northwest quake, is redoubling opposition to his school’s plan of building a science center in Newport’s tsunami zone. (see also KATU)

The Oregon State University Extension Service stand is a popular Coos Bay market destination, where shoppers can find recipe ideas and food samples. Extension Service food experts help buyers make the most of their purchases with tips on food handling and storage, plus tasty, healthy preparation.

When the first 5-centimeter wave slammed into the wood-and-tape structures, all the structures survived. But just three of the structures, built by students visiting Oregon State University on Tuesday, survived after being hit by a 10-centimeter wave. And after a towering 15-centimeter wave was generated in the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory’s tsunami wave basin, only one of the structures remained intact.

Less than four months after starting his new job as an Oregon State University Extension cropping systems agent in Malheur County, Stuart Reitz was tasked with helping the local onion industry tackle one of the biggest challenges it has ever faced.

“Fire specialists love to show us pictures of houses where people took precautions,” said Brad Withrow-Robinson, forester with Oregon State University’s Extension Service. “I’ve seen umpteen photos of land charred all around and a little house left standing in the middle. Not always, but often.”

What triggered the 1990s outbreak, which lasted for about a decade and moved through different parts of Central Oregon, is unknown, said Stephen Fitzgerald, a forestry professor at Oregon State University in Corvallis. But what brought the number of moths back in check to end the outbreak around Bend is known. He said a virus killed off many of them.

Plans for expanding Newport’s Hatfield Marine Science Centerare underway after the Oregon Legislature recently approved $24.8 million to help fund a new building for the facility. Part of Oregon State University, the Hatfield is a leader in marine and environmental research not just for the Oregon coast but around the world as well. It also houses a public building where visitors interact with a variety of exhibits – and now it’s getting bigger.

Zavala said this made the first day of Oregon State University’s Chamber Music Workshop so rough — the musicians, aged 10 to 20 from across Oregon, were divided into groups and were just getting to know each other. The second week-long session of the workshops began Monday; the first ran last week.

Monday

NEW! Assistant Director for Violence Prevention Open Forum and Presentations: Student Health Services is hosting candidates for Assistant Director for Violence Prevention search. The position will focus on sexual violence education, prevention, and policy changes but will also lead other violence prevention efforts such as hazing and bullying. Kimberly Frick (Arizona State University), will have an open forum Monday, July 20, 10-11 a.m., in SHS 323, and a presentation in the afternoon from 3-4 p.m., same room.

Wednesday

NEW! Showcasing Your Research, EndNote & Qualtrics Workshops: Learn how to increase the visibility of your research (July 22) with measures of scholarly impact, open access publishing, and social media. Learn to capture, manage and cite your research sources with EndNote (July 23).Get started with the powerful survey tool, Qualtrics (July 23).View all the offerings in the summer series at http://bit.ly/graduate-workshops. Registration is encouraged but not required. Questions? Contact Hannah.Rempel@oregonstate.edu

NEW! Marine Life and Ocean Energy: A Webinar: 10-10:45 a.m. Wednesday, July 22 (KEC 1007), the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC) will be showing the first BOEM-Oregon Science Exchange webinar. The topic: Discovering patters of Pacific Northwest seabirds and marine mammals in order to predict their interaction with oceanic energy projects.

NEW! Afternoon Public Sale at the OSUsed Store: The OSUsed Store is open for its public sale Wednesday, noon to 3 p.m. at 644 SW 13th Street. Personal purchases must be made during public sales. Departments may shop 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, or during public sales on Wednesdays. For more information, visit our website.

Powerful Tools for Caregivers: Through this program you will learn how to take care of yourself while caring for a relative or a friend whether you are helping a parent, spouse or friend who lives at home, in a nursing home or across the country. In this class, you will learn to reduce stress; improve communication; reduce guilt, anger and depression; make tough decisions; set goals and problem-solve; relax. Every Wednesday, July 19-Sept. 23, 2-4:30 p.m., LaSells Stewart Center Weyerhauser Board Room. To register visit http://oregonstate.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3IakDMzHz1yI7m5 and for questions contact robynn.pease@oregonstate.edu.

NEW!Wayfinding at Valley Library: Wayfinding is how humans choose paths to get where they’re going. Professor Seunghae Lee of the School of Design and Human Environment has studied wayfinding in the Valley Library. She presents her findings at a brown bag lunch talk on July 23, 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the Willamette Rooms on the library’s third floor. Everyone‘s invited.

Upcoming Events

Weight Watchers Information: A 13 week series of WW begins Aug. 11. WW Open House meetings will be held Tuesday Aug. 4 at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at the Moore Family Center, Milam Hall Room 105. If you are a PEBB subscriber the cost of the meetings will be fully subsidized. Next, call the WW/Pebb number 866-454-2144 and ask for a confirmation code. Present the code at the first meeting. For more information, 541-737-3106.

Lectures and Webinars

NEW! Diet and Optimum Health Conference: The Linus Pauling Institute invites you to attend the eighth biennial conference on “Diet and Optimum Health” to be held Sept. 9-12, at the CH2M Hill Alumni Center. The conference will emphasize dietary and lifestyle approaches to improving human health and preventing or treating disease. Special registration rates are available for OSU faculty ($250) and students ($125).There will be a special session on Sept. 11, to honor George Bailey’s career in cancer research. Questions? Contact lpi@oregonstate.edu.

NEW! Rent Outdoor Gear from the Adventure Leadership Institute in Dixon: The sunshine has arrived and it’s time to rent all the gear you need to enjoy the great outdoors from Recreational Sports. The ALI Gear Rental Shop is open to all students, Recreational Sports members and the OSU community for outdoor gear rental. Additionally, if you need your bike tuned up, the bike shop is your one stop shop for preparing your bike for the road or trails! Visit the ALI in Dixon for more information!

NEW! Recreational Sports Summer Half Term Membership Available for Purchase: Kick your summer health and wellness routine into high gear and let Recreational Sports support you throughout the remainder of the summer! A summer half-term membership is available for purchase for only $41 (faculty/staff/associates/dependents) and $34 (student affiliates/dependents), valid from date of purchase through Sept. 18. We’ve got swimming pools and rock walls as well as group fitness classes and wellness coaching (and so much more)! Contact Ali Casqueiro, Membership Coordinator, with questions.

NEW! NSF Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science: If you would like to translate your research knowledge in engineering and computer science to the K-12 teachers please consider submitting a letter of intent to the Research Office by Aug. 10. This is a limited submission funding opportunity with awards typically in the $400,000 to $500,000 range. Instructions on how to submit a letter of intent are here.

Cancer fundraiser: A “gofundme” account has been set up to support Raquel Ndzeidze in Facilities Services, who is battling a rare form of ovarian cancer. Raquel has undergone all the medical treatment available in the U.S. and is seeking to raise $65,000 for naturopathic treatments at a clinic in Mexico. The 2011 business graduate has worked at OSU for eight years, first in the College of Agricultural Sciences, then Facilities Services. Her gofundme account is at: http://www.gofundme.com/v86ey8z4c. Oregon State University does not endorse any specific crowd-funding effort nor does it endorse or sponsor any organizations, methods or needs described or sought by employees in this context. OSU provides this employee hardship information to its employees so they can determine if they want to personally participate.

Traffic and maintenance

Cascade Hall, Adams Hall: As part of the Cascade Hall INTO Remodel Project, the power will be shut down July 24, at 2:30 p.m. through July 25, at 6 p.m., to Cascade Hall and Adams Hall – both of which will both be powered by a generator for the duration of the shut down – in order to complete electrical work needed for the Cascade Hall INTO Remodel.

Graf Hall: As part of the Graf Hall Remodel Project, a section of the parking lot will be closed starting July 13- Oct. 10. (View Map).

Cascade Hall: As part of the Cascade Hall INTO Renovation Project, the B Lot and ADA parking lot between Adams Hall and Cascade Hall will be shut down in order to renovate the ADA ramps and parking spots July 13-Aug. 7. Additionally, the bike path/walkway between the North side of Cascade and the Railroad tracks will be closed to bikes and pedestrian traffic for the duration of the specified time (View Map).

Johnson Hall: As part of the Johnson Hall Project, beginning July 27 through Aug. 21, 26th Street adjacent to the Johnson Hall site, will be closed from just north of the service parking spaces at Ballard Hall to the parking lot entrance just south of the Ocean Admin Building. Also, the Kelley Engineering main entrance off of Park Terrace will be closed so the chilled water loop can be installed. The entrance just to the west of the main entrance will remain open. The accessible ramp to Ballard will also be relocated to directly east of the east entrance. Please view map for details.

Johnson Hall: As part of the Johnson Hall Project utility work, there will be fencing and digging at the Bates Hall hot tap location (View Map) beginning on July 2-27. The digging may cause some disruptive noise and minimal dust.

Strand: As part of the Strand Hall Renovation Project, the Brick mall NW of Strand will be fenced and closed (View Map) July 6 – Aug. 17. The newly fenced area is cross-hatched in blue on the map. The concrete walkway on the west side of the paved area will be kept open (indicated in red on the map), but will be restricted, with some areas only 3’ wide.

Child Care Center: As part of the Child Care Center Roof Replacement Project, 7 parking spots on 13th between Adams and Washington will be closed July 6 – Aug. 3. Additionally, three parking spots in the Child Care Center parking lot will be used for staging (View Map) during this same time.

Jobs

Library Technician 3 – This recruitment will be used to fill one full-time (1.0 FTE) Library Technician 3 (Reference and Building Services Assistant) position for the Valley Library at Oregon State University (OSU). Posting #0015362. Closes July 20.

Custodian – Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center invites applications for a full-time (1.0 FTE), Custodian. This position is located in Newport, Oregon. Posting # 0015426. Closes July 21.

Associate University Librarian – Oregon State University (OSU) Libraries and Press invites applications for a full-time (1.0 FTE), 12-month, tenure track Associate University Librarian for Research and Scholarly Communication. Posting #0015257. For full consideration, please apply by July 20. Closes July 31.

The Division of University Outreach and Engagement at Oregon State University invites applications for a full-time, 12-month, fixed term, Associate Provost & Associate Director of OSU Extension Service. Posting #0014988. Full consideration date: July 24.

Finance Director – The OSU Alumni Association invites applications for a Finance Director. View position description at www.osualum.com/jobs. Apply with a cover letter and resume to osualum.com@oregonstate.edu by July 25 for full consideration. Open until filled.

Food Service Coordinator (Internal Search) – University Housing & Dining Services (UHDS) invites applications for full-time (1.0 FTE), 10-month, Food Service Coordinator positions for Dining Services. Posting #0015411. Closes July 26.This is an internal search, so applicants must articulate in their application responses how they meet the criteria as an internal candidate.

College Alumni Relations Director – The OSU Department of Alumni Relations invites applications for an Alumni Relations Director for the College of Public Health and Human Sciences. Posting #0015199. Closes July 27.

Executive Assistant – Business Affairs invites applications for a full-time (1.0 FTE), 12-month, fixed-term Executive Assistant to the Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration/Controller. Reappointment is at the discretion of the Director. Posting #0015413. Closes July 30.

Oregon State University (OSU) – Cascades, in Bend, Oregon invites applications for a part-time (.40 FTE), 12 month, fixed term, Project Coordinator/Faculty Research Assistant (FRA). Reappointment is at the discretion of the Dean. Posting #0015081. Closes July 30.

Research Associate (Post-doc) – The Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station located at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center invites applications for a full-time (1.0 FTE), 12-month, fixed-term Research Associate (post-doc). This position is located in Newport. Posting # 0015313. Closes Aug. 4.

The Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management at Oregon State University invites applications for a full-time (1.0 FTE), 12-month, fixed-term Instructor of Forest Harvesting position. For full consideration, apply by Aug. 31. Applications will continue to be accepted after the full consideration date, until a sufficient applicant pool has been achieved or the position is filled. Posting 0015403.

Department Head, Fisheries and Wildlife – College of Agricultural Sciences invites applications for a tenured administrator position as Department Head, Fisheries and Wildlife. Appointment includes indefinite tenure on a 9-month basis at 1.00 FTE at the rank of associate or full professor within Fisheries and Wildlife. Posting #0014684. Full consideration Aug. 31. Closes Sept. 30.

Weather

Corvallis: “The older you get, I have to say, the funnier you find life. That’s the only way to go.” ~ Dame Diana Rigg.Cooling down after a hot weekend. High Monday of 85, dropping below 80 through week’s end, when temperatures climb slightly upward.Partly sunny. Lows in the mid 50s.

Central Oregon: Sunny this week, highs hovering around 80, lows in the upper 40s to 50s.

Newport: Cloudy with highs in the 60s and lows in the 50s. Slight chance of showers.